Cragchick - re: getting out and about, I am prompted by my husband, who always makes things seem a lot less challenging than they are; he keeps me grounded. I think I might be very tempted to hibernate otherwise! And going on holiday with another couple who already have two little ones, and are well travelled with them, makes it much less daunting. Hector really does love being out of the house, so I just think it must be good for him. Your camping trip sounds lovely...lists, lists, lists, it's the only way to remember everything, but finding time to write them is another matter! Enjoy your climb

We're seeing the health visitor shortly for his 8-10 week check, so I'm going to ask about the immunisiations (or am I wasting my time?!) I looked at this NHS website and it just confused me further. Hector is scheduled to have his first jabs AND his BCG next week and, from what I can make out, they shouldn't be given so close together. I'm going to check with HV...blimey, it's all worry, worry, worry!

I'm currently on the Pregnant Runners Forum with just under 5 weeks to go till "graduation". However, I have a breastfeeding question that I thought can probably get a better answer to here!

All going to plan I will be breastfeeding for as long as I can, but I've booked tickets to go see Take That in Manchester in mid-December (when baby monkey will be 10 - 12 wks). It will be an overnighter (leave Thurs morn, arrive home again Fri aftnoon). My question is how do I go about leaving DH enough expressed breast milk to survive without me - infact, is it even possible or should I just give up my vain hope of seeing Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason? Do I need to start expressing weeks in advance to leave a good store? And what do I do about expressing whilst away - am assuming will need to do it to prevent boobs from exploding whilst I bop to all my TT favourites )

Anyway, am really looking for advice about whether its possible to go away for 36 hours or so when you're breastfeeding as I just have no idea!

Janie - John Lewis at Cribbs have ace facilities, toilet big enough for double buggy and a feeding room complete with drinking water, its on the top floor.

MR - my SIL managed Glastonbury without baby of 10 weeks, she left expressed milk and used some formula as there wasnt enough. She expressed regularly and chucked it over the weekend. You could build a stock but the problem I have with expressing is finding time!

Any ideas to make being at home with 2 little ones easier?? I am finding it quite hard to juggle thier needs as they both seem to want holding all the time at the mo - possible but you cant do anything else and a girl has to eat, shower, do washing etc. Thay cry when i put them down. I know it sounds mad but I am sure the girls get bored as from day 1 we have been out and about loads and I am not sure how to entertain them at this age. Had to go for a walk in the pouring rain yesturday as it was the only way to make them both happy (its mad, everyone told me I could forget going out with twins but I find that easy, its staying in thats the challenge!)

Monkey Runner - it will not be a problem. You will be able to bop away to your fav. songs! James will be 9 months tomorrow and I still breastfeed, have worked full time for 7 weeks before the summer and expressing was fine.

NCT advice is not to confuse bottle / breast for first 6 weeks. We followed this and then introduced a bottle of expressed milk. Expressed milk can be frozen. When you first try to express you might find there is little milk and almost topple into the pitts of despair - don't, it will right itself might just take a week or so. James will take a bottle but would have less.

Try expressing milk and freezing it (special bags/pots available from Mothercare/ Boots etc). Then if you get into a habit you might find that you can leave a fresh bottle and perhaps some more fresh behind as well as a fully stocked freezer! Frozen milk lasts for long enough and will reassure Daddy that they will be able to cope! If you freeze it in smal amounts as well as when it is heated any excess is rubbish (gutting after all that effort you put in!)

I think you should be fine, it will be a big wrench jus not seeing little one for so long!!

MM and Janie - good points about the MMR. It's so difficult though to know what to do for the best.

Cragchick, sounds as though you're doing great running and fitness-wise. I went for a run in the pouring rain and howling wind last night. I ran past the station with a smile on my face as a load of commuters were disembarking from the train. Got some funny looks but they don't realise how liberating it is to feel strong and fit again after months of tedious jogging during pregnancy and time off to recover after the birth. Like you, I don't think my core is quite as strong as it was and I am always aware of the fact that I should be careful not to hurt my back again - but find it hard to exercise caution now that I can run faster again. I also need to do more stretching - OK, I need to START stretching! - as my hamstrings are incredibly tight. Trouble is by the time I get in from my run it's 7:30pm or later and hubby and I are climbing the walls with hunger, so all I want to do is shower and eat as quickly as possible!

Taking Kit to the doctor today. He's had a very dry rash on his back for a few weeks now and nothing I try seems to be helping it much. HV said it was eczema but am not convinced. It just seemed to appear out of the blue - am wondering if it's connected with teething as he's just sprouted his first two teeth. It doesn't seem to itch or bother him in any way but obviously I want to clear it up.

I too find the thought of going out and about is often worse than the reality. Hubby is very laid back about it but I tend to get quite stressed. I worry about where I'll feed/change Kit, whether he'll eat or be too distracted, whether he'll fall asleep or be too interested in what's going on around him then be tired and crabby because he's missed a nap, and then whether he'll sleep in the car after 5pm and be a nightmare to settle at bedtime because he's had too late a nap! Usually most of my fears are completely unfounded. Was very stressed before we went on holiday about disrupting his routine (having got him into it really well) and yes, we did mess about with it a bit while we were away. He sometimes had his bath later or his last feed later, or his feed times during the day weren't at the exact times they usually are - but he slept really well away and we didn't get up to him in the night then or since we've been back. They are more adaptable than you think. We found that as long as we tried to keep his feeds and bedtime at roughly the same times - give or take half an hour or so - there was no problem.

Met up with my antenatal group yesterday, as I do most Wednesdays. Usually a few people can't make it but yesterday all 7 of us were there with babies. Must say I found it a bit much and Kit was a bit unsettled in the end - too noisy and too much going on. We lined all the babies up on the sofa in order of birthday for a photo - one started bawling then one by one they all joined in! We couldn't stop laughing even though we felt a bit mean doing so!

Kit will be trying pear puree today - will be a lot different from baby rice so will be interested to see how he takes to it.

Hetty, its really hard. Do you have them in a routine yet? I used to get my shower during their morning nap 9-10 ish at that age. I often used to run during their lunchtime nap if hubbie was working at home.

Entertainment wise while at home is baby gym. Once they can hold their heads around 3-4 months a doorway bouncer is great, as you can play with one while the other bounces.

I would ensure they get naps at set times each day so they aren't too tired and clinging to you when they are awake, then they have the energy to play. I still take these two out for walks when they are grumpy fresh air is wonderful and they can now go in the baby swings which is great entertainment. Also invest in bouncy chairs which again keep one of both happy if you need to do something, or while feeding the other. Also helps keep them upright if like me you have pukers!!

It does get easier, except they are awake more and need more entertainment, but once they start to play together you can just sit and watch sometimes, drink a cuppa etc. And of course they sleep at night which helps immensely!

Can help out with advice if you need more, have loads! Have you met any other mums with twins around they same age, that really helps me. I meet up every week with two mums and their babes and we compare notes.

Expressing wise. I gave my two a bottle of expressed milk at 2 weeks, which progressed to a bottle of formula around 8 weeks as my milk supply was bad in the evenings. You can express and store in the freezer, or if all else fails allow babe to have formula for that evening, it won't harm them, although its easier said now then when hormones are raging. You will probably have to express and dump for that evening. We had no nipple confusion problems and they switched from either happily.

I have a medela double electric pump which worked a treat. All over in 10-15 mins, and I was expressing 8oz from each boob by the time they were 4 months!

So much catching up to do! I smile to myself when I write about how I can't find time for this that and the other, but I find time to come on here and catch up

Hetty - that sounds like hard work! I know what you mean about going out, it's good for everyone to have a change of scenery and get some fresh air - it usually makes Hector drop off once he's got over trying to look at everything all at once, so we often do a 'round the block' to calm him in the evening. Obviously I can't talk from experience, and this might sound like a daft suggestion, but is it possible to double the girls up in a sling or slings? One on the front, one on the back, or both in a hammock style sling? You would at least have your hands free - sort of - to get something done. Hard work though! Just a thought...

Just back from mums and babies yoga and enjoyed it a bit more this time, no puking over everything, which was a relief! We learnt some new moves to do during a nappy change and I had a good stretch (ooh I'm tight!). On my way home, I came out of the tube station and it was pouring down, sideways. I looked up and said 'oh no!' and a woman stopped and offered me her umbrella, not to share, but to keep! I refused at first, but she was insistant, how kind is that?

Well, we went to our 8-week check yesterday...what a crap 'system'. It was truly disheartening. Husband took some time out to come with us, not imagining that we'd be there for two hours. It was at a health centre type place and there were about six mums there. This woman (a health visitor, it turned out) said 'you two', pointing at two of the mums 'undress your babies and I'll weigh them'. This went on in a very brisk manner and husband I were commenting on how we should just pop him on a conveyor belt. It was dreadful. Our appointment was at 3.15 and we eventually saw someone at about 4.30! All she did was go through the questionnaire I had filled in and went over any things that she thought needed highlighting. Rubbish. Since we were discharged by our - wonderful - midwife, we have had no continuity whatsoever and definitely feel like a number. Well, at least we don't have to go back now until he's one, unless we want to get him weighed.

On a positive note, Hector has put on a pound in a week and is now weighing in at 11lb10oz!

Minks - well done on your run, it sounds rather lovely. Maybe some of those commuters were looking at you longingly, wishing they could do just that!

Thanks for the advice MM - we have got a good evening (bottle, story and bed at 8 ish) and morning (cozy feed and cuddles in bed at 6 30 -7ish then we all fall back to sleep, I get a shower at 9 45 and girls wake up at 10ish) ... daytimes are a bit more haphazard as I amout and about lots but I have been making a mental note and the girls seem to nap around 11 30 and again late afternoon so maybe I need to try to be a bit more consistant with that.. They have bouncy chairs and sat in them for the first time without wailing today - seemed to enjoy watching me get my lunch with a running commentary! I did meet up with a group of twin mums last week but it seemed all they did was moan.... may just have been a bad day so will go again next week.

Ap - I have 1 sling which is great if one baby is wingy or awake while the other is asleep (usually sends the other off to sleep too!) You can get a double but it is very expensive and I am not sure how long you would be able to use it without killing your back. Your 8 week check sounds horrendous! Will be interesting to see how mine compares next week. My 6 week check was quite thorough with an abdo exam, BP, bloods and 10 min chat.

It's funny even thinking about being pregnant again when all we did on the pregnancy thread last summer was moan about how awful we felt for various reasons!! They say the worst pain is soonest forgotten - can't say I experienced major pain since I had the dubious honour of a C-section (although the contractions I had before being taken to theatre were very intense) - a lot of my memories of the birth and the first couple of weeks afterwards have faded so I struggle to recall the details now.

Cragchick, well done on the birthday cake! Am dreading the birthday party stage. Just hope the friends Kit makes don't have super-competitive parents who expect top-notch goodie bags and try to outdo each other with the superiority of their birthday cakes. I'm adequate in the kitchen when it comes to day to day fare but I am no Gordon Ramsay. If I have friends round to dinner at least one course will be courtesy of M&S!

My brother is getting married tomorrow so have to pack for the wedding day and the following day. Not sure what to do now Kit's on solids. I assume defrosted puree will keep in the fridge for about 24 hours so if I make some up tonight it should be OK for tomorrow, and I can defrost a cube tomorrow for Sunday. The hotel we're staying in doesn't have fridges in the rooms but there's apparently one behind the 24-hour reception we can use. Will have to take steriliser and I think we'll just use cartons of formula for the weekend - bit pricey but less hassle than having to cart around a tin of powder and then keep the bottles refrigerated. My mum, my aunt and a couple of others are helping us out with Kit by doing half-hour babysitting shifts in our hotel room once he's gone to bed, so hubby and I can attend at least some of the evening disco together. My brother seemed to think we could just put Kit in his buggy in the corner of the room for the evening! Er, no. For a start I wouldn't want his little eardrums exposed to that level of noise; secondly it's hardly fair to expect him to sleep in his buggy in a noisy environment when he's used to going down in his cot in peace and quiet. I don't mind his routine being a little bit disrupted (it will have to be to fit round the wedding schedule) but there are limits!

Cragchick, my hamstrings are tight as a drum too. Mainly because I never get round to stretching. When I ran the London Marathon in 2006 I was out injured for two weeks during the training because I tore my hamstring insertion. Physio said it probably happened because hamstrings are so tight and I started stretching religiously. Of course, now that the injury is a distant memory the stretching is getting that way too ...

Minks there are some very good sachets of single purees you can buy in supermarket like carrot etc. Which may help for that purpose. I try to make as much of boys food as poss, but do use jars and sachets for occasions such as that and for travelling. The boys hate them but they have a purpose!! Otherwise purees tend to be fine for 24-48 hours in fridge.

I also never have time to stretch and my muscles are shocking. I get in from a run and have to get on. Running is going well though, even ran twice on monday, which was hard but felt pretty good. 7 weeks till half-marathon seems so soon.

Enjoy your brother's wedding Minks I think I've got my outfit sorted for the wedding I'm going to next weekend, it's not really very 'me', but I just want to feel comfortable. It's so hard to know what to wear for weddings, and so easy for the men!

Think this is probably it for us too .... I reminded myself several times to enjoy my pregnancy (and did apart from the last bit) and am trying to do the same now whatever challenges I face as its probably the only time I will get to be a mum to babies! On the whole, have to say I am loving it!

HV came today and the girls have put on nearly a pound each in 2 weeks, now 8 5 and 7 9. Also had my first proper smile from Milla which was great (Ella obliged a couple of days ago but havnt managed to get one out of her since!). Also, they sat happily in thier bouncy chairs for 30 mins this morning and played on the baby gym this afternoon - definately a good day!

Found a buggy fit class fairly locally and am definately going to give it a go.... looking for an evening pilates class too so I can have an evening off! Am starting to get a bit despondant... thought the weight would fall off feeding 2 but I have not lost anything for weeks and am 2 stone over my usual weight. I have to keep eating as otherwise my milk is crap so hopefully some exercise will help.

Enjoy the wedding Minks!

The cake sounds great... my mum bought me a recipe book when i finished work but so far its unopened! Maybe when the girls can cook with me!

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